Embodiments of the present invention pertain to thermally broken sunshade anchors. The present invention also pertains to sunshade assemblies. Embodiments of the present invention pertain to pour and debridge thermal breaks, particularly for sunshade anchors. The present invention also pertains to methods related to sunshade anchors, sunshade assemblies, and pour and debridge thermal breaks.
Sunshades are often used on the outside of commercial architectural projects or buildings to shade large expanses of glass from sunlight. The sunshades are attached to the exteriors of the buildings and extend outward away from the buildings. The sunshades have louvers which reduce the amount of sunlight that reaches the buildings. The sunshades can mitigate possible solar heat gain to the inside of the buildings from solar light passing through the glass. The energy efficiency and performance of buildings is a concern, due to, for example, rising energy costs and environmental concerns associated with non-renewable energy sources. Architects are specifying products like sunshades to improve the overall energy efficiency and performance of the buildings they design. In many cases, architects are designing curtain wall systems where sunshades are directly integrated into the structural members of the curtain wall (known as mullions).
There are existing curtain wall systems which are thermally broken or thermally improved, i.e., a thermal barrier is included in the curtain wall to reduce heat transfer through the curtain wall components. However, sunshades, sunshade attachment structures and sunshade attachment methods have not been thermally broken. Existing sunshades have been attached to curtain wall mullions by structures having metal-to-metal contact which easily transfer heat energy. A non-thermally broken sunshade, typically made of aluminum, is highly energy conductive and easily transfers heat energy to the mullion of the curtain wall. Furthermore, the sunshades have been attached to the curtain wall mullions with structures which breach the thermal break in the curtain wall. Accordingly, the heat energy can by-pass the thermal break in the curtain wall. The additional heat load placed on the curtain wall by the sunshade is in direct conflict to the energy performance of the overall curtain wall system and may even degrade the heat transfer resistance of the otherwise thermally broken curtain wall.
Curtain walls can be measured by their transmission of energy, known as U-value. Sunshades have been attached to the mullions of the curtain walls by sunshade anchors. However, the sunshade anchors, and thus the sunshades themselves, have not been thermally broken. A non-thermally broken sunshade attached directly to the mullion of the curtain wall increases the U-value of the curtain wall and reduces the energy performance of the wall as well. The non-thermally broken sunshade may also have a negative effect on the energy efficiency of the building. A sunshade is added to a building for the benefit of reducing solar heat energy applied to the building by providing shade to the building. However, the shading benefits of the sunshade may be at least partially offset by the diminished energy performance of the building curtain wall caused by the attachment of the sunshade which is a large metallic appendage. Existing sunshades can negatively impact the curtain wall's U-value to some extent. Therefore, improvements can be made to sunshades, sunshade anchors and related methods.
Thermal breaks have been used to reduce heat transfer through a device. One type of thermal break is a pour and debridge thermal break. A pour and debridge thermal break is formed by pouring urethane resin into a defined volume in the device, and curing the urethane. A bridge is removed which results in two spaced apart components separated from each other by the cured urethane resin. The cured urethane resin forms the thermal break between the two components.
Existing pour and debridge thermal breaks and devices having the thermal breaks can be improved. For example, existing sunshade anchors have not had pour and debridge thermal breaks. Also, a proper bond between the urethane thermal break and aluminum components has been a concern. Pour and debridge thermal breaks have also had problems with dry shrinkage and potentially inadequate shear strength between the thermal break and aluminum components. Therefore, improvements can be made to pour and debridge thermal breaks and related methods.
Accordingly, needs exist to improve sunshades, sunshade anchors, thermal breaks and related methods for the reasons mentioned above and for other reasons.